Peace. It’s what Jesus came back to tell the disciples they needed, “Peace be with you!”

I think peace can sometimes feel as if it’s out of reach. It’s difficult to find and harder to cultivate. I suppose there are moments of peace. Moments like when you get a colicky newborn to finally fall asleep or when you get the test results back from a cancer scan and you’re in remission. It can be in these moments of relief that we can find peace.

But I suggest instead of waiting for these moments that pop up occasionally, we can actively seek peace. I believe if “Peace be with you” were the first words out of Jesus’ mouth after he died, then we have an obligation to find it and do all we can to make it last! I can’t fathom Jesus’s intention was for us to simply have glimpses of peace.

To proclaim something is to stand up and make it known. For us to proclaim peace, we need to go out and get it! Simple enough right? Today in the world, we have divisions, people of every political party, race, religion and sexual preference proclaiming and pointing out our differences. Since God’s ways are opposite of the world view, perhaps we should be shining light on the common denominators that bring us together in order to find peace.

Unfortunately peace cant be grown externally like a seed you plant in the ground and watch grow and produce fruit. NO, instead peace is planted internally, within you and me. The seed of peace is within us and it’s our responsibility to nurture it and give it what it needs in order to grow peace.

How does this happen? Well, prayer is certainly a powerful element in growing peace, making sure our prayer is pure and without judgement or with strings attached. We can educate ourselves through stories of truth, taking the time to see what both sides of a conflict value.

The prayer of Saint Francis says, “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me” is our fight song to remind us that in order for us to bring peace to the world, we must find peace within ourselves first. Mother Teresa said, “be the change you want to see in the world” which also points the finger in our direction to hep build bridges instead of adding more gasoline to the fire.

I believe it is necessary for us to start by finding peace within ourselves. When we know the peace of Christ, of the love of God, then we are more able to step out and share it. Go in search of peace today so you can proclaim it tomorrow!